The Titanic Stampede
by djk1982
Summary: A crossover of Teen Titans and Trigun. What happens when the Teen Titans meet the Humanoid Typhoon? Read and find out!
1. Prologue

Greetings once more, true believers! As you have all probably gotten used to by now, I have to mention that all disclaimers apply to this fic; I do not own Teen Titans or Trigun. But this fic is all mine, and if any of you like it enough to want to put it on your personal web sites, please ask my permission first. Now, on with the show! Enjoy the Titanic Stampede!

Prologue

"Man, this is too easy." Gizmo chortled as he stepped over another unconscious security guard on the spidery-mechanical legs sprouting from the pack on his back. He moved to the panel on the wall, next to the massive lead door, and began to tinker with it, trying to hack the lock.  
"Think the new boss'll be happy?" Mammoth asked as he tossed the two guards' he had been throttling aside.  
"Of course he will. With a trio like us, how could he not be?" Jinx said as she checked her reflection in her compact makeup case. "He'll probably throw in a nice, juicy bonus."  
"He better. Dealing with radioactive stuff gives me the creeps." Gizmo added as he finished hacking. The door opened, revealing a smaller chamber within, in which hung several radiation suits. Jinx, being the only average sized one out of the three, sauntered ahead of her companions and reached for one of the suits.  
"Not so fast!" A fourth voice shouted. The three Hive students swung around to reveal a familiar sight.  
"I was wondering when you snotwads were going to show up!" Gizmo said, the legs retracting into his pack, and a pair of wings sprouting in their place, a jet flaming up beneath them.  
"Stealing uranium isn't like you" Robin snarled in response.  
"What's the matter, run out of Quickie Marts to hold up?" Beast Boy hurled.  
"Who you jerks working for this time? Lex Luthor?" Cyborg quipped.  
"We don't deal with spoiled rich boys" Mammoth snorted, "And we don't deal with the likes of you!"  
"Attack pattern Beta, go!" Jinx instructed, and with that the three leapt into action.  
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, and his companions also leapt into combat.  
The battle unfolded, fast and furious. Jinx somersaulted through the air with acrobat grace, avoiding the birdarangs and laser blasts from Robin and Cyborg, but was thrown to the ground when a green buffalo slammed into her. Starfire threw several bolts at Gizmo who dodged them and returned fire with a pair of small weapons that were mounted on his shoulders. Mammoth charged at Raven, a massive fist drawing back.  
"Azarath, Metreon, Sinthos!" Raven said softly, and a black glow appeared around Mammoth's fist, freezing it in place. His body was thrown out from under that fist by sheer force, and he was sent sprawling onto his back. Jinx rose back to her feet and looked up toward one of the large light fixtures overhead, which promptly fell loose from its place, landing right on top of the green buffalo, which morphed back into Beast Boy with a large bump on his head. But then she was caught by a bolo that wrapped around her, pinning her arms to her side.  
"Yes!" Robin shouted, throwing his fist in the air. Jinx smirked, and the knots came loose, the rope falling to the ground. "No!" Robin snarled as he leapt forward and launched a series of kicks and punches at Jinx, all of which she ducked and dodged with expert skill. She slid down under one extender arm as he punched, came up right in front of his face, and planted a tiny kiss on his nose.  
"See ya, stud!" she winked and with that somersaulted away from him, landing right in front of the door, which then made her escape through. Robin groaned in disgust and rubbed his nose as if it would remove the germs he was sure he had gotten from her.  
"Titans, stop..." Robin started to say when he was jolted on the spot by the twin blasts Gizmo fired toward him. He leapt out of the way as more shots came.   
"Ha, take that snotburger!" Gizmo chortled, but stopped when the orange-skinned arm wrapped around his neck and tore his pack away from his body. Starfire dropped him, and he promptly landed flat on his butt while she tossed his pack into the air and blasted it to pieces.   
"Boo-yah!" Cyborg shouted, but was then knocked to the ground by Mammoth. The two grappled for a moment when a small, green insect landed on Mammoth's shoulder, inserted its stinger into him, and a few moments later the bullying behemoth slumped down into a deep sleep.  
"Dude!" Beast Boy shouted when he morphed back into himself, "Someone, get me some mouthwash, some disinfectant, anything!" He stuck his tongue out and began wiping at it, as if that would somehow remove the taste of Mammoth.  
"No time for fooling around" Raven interrupted his ranting, "We have to go after Jinx."  
Jinx huffed as she ran down the streets, the twisting alleys and bowels of the buildings. She ran straight past a man playing a saxophone on a street corner. He watched her pass, his eyes narrowing in amusement, and then turned his attention back to some of the young women attracted by his lyrics. She continued to run, so distracted by her thoughts of escape that she had no idea she was being watched through the scope of a remarkably long sniper's rifle. Its owner crouched on a building ten blocks away, watching her curiously.  
So distracted, she did not notice the click noise, and nearly ran into the woman who seemed to appear in front of her. She yelped and stumbled back for a moment.  
"Hey lady, watch where you're..." her words left her when she looked up into the single eye of the woman, her other eye covered by a strange patch. Jinx struggled for something to say, and then remembered her pursuers, and quickly resumed running.  
She ran a few more streets when a black glow tossed a garbage can from its place against a building out in front of her, and she tripped across it, falling flat on her face. As she regained her senses, she heard the footsteps coming up behind her. "Man, I'm calling Knives..." she murmured and reached for her own Hive communicator.  
Robin snatched the device away from her hand and leaned in close, bringing his intimidating eyes close to hers.  
"Who is Knives?" he demanded.

In a highbrow hotel on the far side of the city, in the pent house level room, the Hive Mistress addressed the current client. He was a strange looking man, with short blonde hair and cold blue eyes. He sat at a table, a bottle of fine wine and a strange looking gun set on top of it. He swirled some of that wine in a crystal glass, and then sipped slowly, savoring the taste.  
"I assure you sir, such failures are not tolerated within The Hive. When the student's are retrieved from the authorities, they will certainly be expelled for this poor performance." She waited to see his reaction, but he totally ignored her, taking another sip of his wine. After several seconds of silence, she went on. "If you are still interested, we have other students, even more gifted, who I am sure will be able to..."  
"A generous offer, thank you." He interrupted, placing his glass on the table, not even turning his head to address her. She watched his hand, waiting to see if it reached for his gun, but it simply rested on top of the table. If only she knew the gun was not what she should fear. "But I'm quire sure my people can take care of things from here. What do you think?"  
The Hive mistress suddenly found her own hands around her throat, their grip tightening painfully. She blinked in shock and tried to send the command from her brain to her arms and her hands to stop, but there was no action in between. Her fingers only tightened their grip. She tried to say something, but it came out a hoarse croak. From behind her, though the quickly gathering haze, she became aware of another presence in the room.  
"I assure you master, I shall not fail as these pathetic humans have." the blue haired man said as he came up alongside her, and then walked past her to stand next to the table. He and the blonde haired man continued to talk, completely ignoring as the Hive Mistress dropped to her knees, gasping and choking for air as her vision grew dark, and finally she fell to the floor, her body twitching for a moment before going completely limp. "You are certain this plan will work?"  
"Of course it'll work. I thought of it, didn't I?" Knives said as he took another sip of his wine. He held his glass up toward one of the windows, looking out over the twinkling lights of the city. "To kill vermin, you wipe out the nest before they can spread. I should have thought of this a long time ago." He chuckled and took his final sip.  
"And if these Teen Titans attempt to interfere?" Legato asked. Knives threw his hand in the air dismissively.  
"What do you always do with trash? Dispose of it."  
Legato bowed and left the room.


	2. Chapter 1

2

Quiet. Solitude. They were a rare and valuable thing, and as such, they must be treasured. And none was better at doing so than Raven. She hovered before the great window of the Tower's lounge area, her legs crossed, her eyes closed, her mind lost deep in meditation. The other Titans were currently out, enjoying whatever mundane activities were keeping them occupied, and that was fine by her.  
"Azarath, Metreon, Sinthos…Azarath, Metreon, Sinthos…" she repeated softly to herself. It was like a rhythmic hum that calmed her nerves. Her mind slowly turned in on itself, pondering and searching.  
RIIIING…RIIING…  
Raven scowled as the sound cut through her meditation. She waited for a moment, waiting to see if it started again. When there was only silence, she smiled and prepared to resume her meditation. "Azarath, Metreon…"  
RIIING…RIIING…  
Groaning with frustration, she placed her feet down onto the floor, pulled her hood back up over her face, and went to see what it was. She made the annoyingly long trip through the corridors of Titan's Tower, down toward the small door that many were surprised to discover served as their main entrance. She opened it only a crack, seeing who was there.  
"You a Teen Titan?" The police officer asked her. Raven sighed, all her hopes of it being just a pizza delivery mistake vanishing. She opened the door and stepped out.  
"Yes."  
"Think you can give us a hand?"  
"What is it?" She followed the officer back down toward the patrol boat docked on the shore of the island.  
"We picked up this guy," the officer explained as they went, "And now we don't know what to do with him. The hospital won't take him, and I'm afraid to lock him up, so I figured we'd ask you guy's and see if you could help."  
Raven stepped onto the boat, and looked toward its interior, where four armed patrolmen were sitting, keeping watch over a bizarre looking man, who seemed uncharacteristically cheerful, considering he was in police custody. He looked up, and seemed to only brighten more upon seeing her.  
"Hi kid! What's you're name?" Raven stepped closer to him and gave him a look over for a moment. She narrowed her eyes, and then turned to the leading officer.  
"I think you'd better bring him inside."

"I would like cinnamon, and cream, and croissant, and sugar, and…"  
"Starfire…" Robin interrupted politely, "Not everything on the menu goes into the coffee." Starfire blushed lightly, and Robin shook his head, unable to ever stay annoyed at her.  
"Are you sure this is a place of calm, Robin? There seem to be so many people growing agitated." Starfire looked around, her gaze drifting amongst the increasingly caffeinated people who were chatting rapidly.  
"Its okay Star, that's just the caffeine." Robin leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes for a moment, savoring the atmosphere. He could see why Raven liked this place so much. The air smelled faintly of tealeaves and scented candles, and the noise of the people talking was only just audible above the sound of the saxophone. Robin opened his eyes and looked up at the stage at the far end of the room. He had no idea who the man performing was, but he certainly was talented. He stood swayed lightly with his own notes, his handsome face perfectly serene.  
"Robin…" Starfire said. He turned to regard her.  
"Yeah?"  
"That fellow over there…was he here a moment ago?"  
Robin followed Starfire's gaze to the opposite wall, where there was strange enough looking man sitting at a booth alone. His thick blue hair shadowed his face, but the piercing yellow eyes were quite evident. He was dressed bizarrely, a flowing white coat over his dark clothes. Spikes pierced through the bulge in his right shoulder. He didn't speak a word, seeming to be entirely focused on the chocolate bundt sitting in front of him. He took small bites, chewed carefully, never even acknowledging that there were other people around him.  
"I don't know Star. Just ignore him, he's not bothering anyone." With that said, Robin turned his attention back to the magnificent music emanating from the stage.  
Starfire tried to heed his advice, but could not draw her attention from the strange man. With most humans, she could feel the life and vitality. She could felt the pulse of their hearts, hear their breaths, feel the warmth of their bodies. But from this man, she could feel nothing. It was as if there was a great void in that seat where he brooded over his rich dessert.  
Both their thoughts were interrupted by the beeping from Robin's belt. He sighed and reached into one of the many pouches, revealing his communicator. He spoke into it with a voice dripping with disappointment. "Yeah Cyborg?"  
"Robin, we got trouble. It's the nuclear plant again." Robin grunted and stood up, grabbing Starfire's wrist. In a moment, they were both gone.  
The saxophone player finished his number, paused a moment to savor the applause, and then stepped down from the stage. He walked over to the man Starfire had been so disturbed by, and stood against the wall next to his table.  
"You hear that?" he murmured.  
"Yes. It would seem another party has ambitions similar to ours. We shall have to correct them." He took his final bite, dabbed his lips with a napkin, and then rose.

"First this Knives guy, and now Slade. Where does it end?" Robin snarled as he the other Titans, minus Raven, raced into the nuclear power plant.  
"Dude, I was almost to level nine on Halo 2!" Beast Boy shouted as he tried to keep pace, "If anyone has a reason to be mad, its…"  
"Where is Raven?" Starfire said with real concern.  
"Don't worry Star, she'll catch up." Cyborg assured her.  
They raced into the main wing of the plant, and were confronted by a small army of Slade's robot minions. They were attempting to steal as much equipment as they could, yanking panels from the walls, picking up computer's from their places on the tops of desks, gathering files from their drawers.  
"You guy's need to get a new hobby." Cyborg quipped. Half of the robots stopped what they were doing and turned to face the Titans. The other half simply continued with their theft.   
"Titans…" Robin started to say when the first shot pierced the air.   
It happened all at once. A series of bullets tore the air, raking the robots into scrap. A massive pair of arms burst out of the floor, grabbing several of the robots at once, squeezing them to pulp. A piercing blast of pure sonic force, resembling the notes of a saxophone, ripped tiles from the floor as it tossed a dozen of the machines into the air. A series of traffic cone sized spikes flew through the air, tearing holes into the guts of more of the robots. Within just a matter of seconds, it was over. The machines that had threatened the Titans were nothing but scrap spread over the facility.  
"Dude…what just happened?" Beast Boy said as he struggled to raise his jaw off the floor.   
"We are victorious?" Starfire said, her confusion evident. The answer came not in words, but in the form or a birdarang exploding right in her face. Starfire shrieked and was thrown to the ground.  
"Robin! What are you doing?" Beast Boy shouted, only to be knocked to the floor himself by a blast from Cyborg.  
"What's going on?" Cyborg shouted as he tried to lower his arm, but it was suddenly as if he had lost all control over his own body.  
"I don't know!" Robin snarled as he struggled with the full power of his will and mind against the unseen force that had wrested control of his limbs from him. His collapsible staff extended to its full size in his hand, and he dropped into a battle ready stance.  
"Friends, what is wrong?" Starfire said, rising to her feet, her concern for her companions written on her face. She stepped closer to Robin, who floored her with a slap across the face from his staff. She was then slammed against the wall but a green ram, which morphed back into Beast Boy, who was also growling with frustration as his body refused to listen to his brain.  
"It would seem the girl is somehow immune," a deep voice said from the hallway behind her.  
"It doesn't matter." A soft, female voice said from one of the offices nearby.  
"We handled those tin cans easily enough." A muffled voice said from the catwalk above.  
"We can take care of them." A child's voice said from behind one of the desks.  
"That is enough, all of you." Another, deeper, and cultured sounding voice broke in. Starfire looked up at the hallway she and the other Titan's had entered from, and watched as the same pair she and Robin had seen at the coffee shop, the blue haired man and the saxophone player both stepped into the room. "These human's can scarcely help their inferiority." The blue haired man said with contempt, an arrogant smirk playing across his face.  
"I am not human." Starfire said between her clenched teeth as she rose to her feet. "What have you done to my friends?"  
"If humans are weak enough to be so easily manipulate, what business is it of yours?" He said. Starfire's eyes blazed green, and with a snarl she lunged forward, balls of energy glowing on her fists.  
A blast of pure sonic force from the saxophone leveled her back to the floor. She moaned softly as she struggled to pull herself up. Then she felt the cold sharpness of the sword blade against her throat, and the hard roundness of the gun against her temple.  
"Shall we finish her, Legato?" The woman asked, her finger steady on the trigger.  
"Disappointing that there are no challenges worthy of our skill here." The man holding the sword muttered.  
As if summoned by his words, another gunshot tore the air, knocking the woman's gun from her hand.  
"Azarath, Metreon, Sinthos!" Raven's voice shouted, and a black glow formed around the sword, yanking it from its owner.  
"Don't move Legato, or I swear, I'll shoot." A new voice said. Starfire watched, her face brightening as Raven and another unfamiliar person stepped out from the hallway. The blue haired one, Legato, closed his eyes and smirked with a vein resignation.  
"I was so hoping the gateway had disgorged you somewhere a little less hospitable…Vash the Stampede."


	3. Chapter 2

"Who the what?" Cyborg gaped.  
"He's here to help guys. Just keep calm." Raven assured.  
"I said let them go Legato." Vash repeated, tightening his finger around the trigger of his unusual looking gun.  
"Dude, who is this guy, and where did he get that haircut?" Beast Boy gawked. His thoughts were interrupted when Cyborg turned to face the newcomer and loosed a blast from his cannon.  
The Titan's all gave a simultaneous gasp. He had only sidestepped, but to the untrained eyes of the humans and Tamaranian, it almost looked as if the laser bolt had gone through him.  
"I said let them go!" He repeated, louder this time.  
"If you're going to help us just do it!" Robin snarled in frustration, still struggling to regain control of his own body.  
"Yes Vash, do it." Legato said, closing his eyes as an arrogant smile played across his face. Vash tightened his grip on his gun, his hand trembling with indecision. Starfire's eyes widened as she watched and waited. A single drop of sweat formed on Robin's forehead and fell to the floor.  
Vash sighed and lowered his weapon, and all hell broke loose.  
The intruders all opened fire on Vash and were joined by Robin and Cyborg who hurled birdarangs and laser shots at him. Vash ducked and dodged with unspeakable speed, a red and blonde blur of motion. He somersaulted away from Raven, drawing their fire, but was grounded when a single shot winged him, sending him tumbling to the ground.  
Legato's arrogant smile grew broader as he watched his people prepare to deliver the final blow. But then a pair of green energy bolts blasted the ground right out from under him, sending him tumbling down to a floor below. He hit the ground with a grunt and blacked out. Starfire giggled delightedly, but was silenced by a bullet that whizzed past her face.  
"Dude, I can move!" Beast Boy shouted excitedly.  
"Boo-yah!" Cyborg shouted and turned his attack now against one of the office's the attacks had come from. The entire wall blasted out, revealing a bizarre looking man with a pair of large half-dome's on either side of his body, a series of strings tied around his fingers. But no sooner had he done this than the massive arms they had seen moment's earlier bust through a wall, latching into Cyborg. "Talk about cheap construction!" Cyborg grumbled helplessly as he was yanked into the next room.  
The samurai leapt forward into combat with Robin, exchanging kicks and punches expertly. Robin smirked, enjoying the competition as he slapped away a punch directed as his head. He ducked low and swept a kick toward his opponent's legs, but the warrior leapt over it and landed next to his fallen sword. He grabbed it and charged back in, but was blocked at the last moment by Robin's staff.  
Raven opened her mouth to begin her incantation, but found the muzzle of a gun pressed against her temple, accompanied by a strange clicking sound. The one-eyed woman smiled as she started to tighten her grip on the trigger, but the gun was knocked from her hand by a well-placed shot from Vash. She scowled, and with another clicking sound, vanished completely. Raven's eyes darted around for a moment, and then settled on Vash, who winked. Raven smiled in response.  
Starfire floated up toward the catwalks above, and found herself confronted by a small child dressed like a cowboy, made all the more disturbing by the pair of guns clutched in his small hands. Standing next to him was a large, muscular man wearing a purple bodysuit, and an orange helmet that covered almost his entire face. And wrapped around his forearms were perhaps the largest looking guns she had ever seen. They both instantly assailed her with a rain of bullets, and it was all she could do to dodge most of them. She hurled a single bolt at them, and it struck the catwalk alongside them, sending the boy tumbling aside. The large man, however, leapt from the catwalk and tackled her in midair, sending them both to the floor with a grunt.  
The man wearing the spike-covered domes narrowed his eyes with a sinister chuckle and started to extend his fingers, tugging at the strings tied around them when a series of green tentacles lapped around his head. He grunted and emitted a stream of curses as he danced around, struggling to remove the green octopus without raising his hands and setting off his weapon.  
"Get off me you little…" he snarled, and as if on command the tentacles vanished. And in their place, in front of him, there was a green porcupine. It raised its quills as if in mockery of the spike's that covered its opponent's body. He snarled and started to flex his fingers again when the porcupine sniffled and swung one of its small paws, tossing a series of quills that severed the strings. The metal domes fell from his shoulders with a loud crash, and he stood, frozen in utter shock. And then, before his eyes, the porcupine turned into a massive grizzly bear. It snarled, drool falling from its fangs, and then stood up on its hind legs, roaring. He shrieked and turned to run, slapping instantly into a wall and falling flat onto his back.  
Beast Boy morphed back into himself and burst into laughter at the spectacle. The laughter stopped when the wall next to him exploded and Cyborg was thrown through. A massive, faceless monstrosity soon followed him. It completely ignored Beast Boy as it stepped through the hole, its aim focused entirely on Cyborg. It reached down and clamped its enormous hands onto him and began squeezing, seeking to crack him like a walnut. Cyborg groaned and tried to fight back, tensing his body as he tried to outmuscle his attacker, but it matched his effort and squeezed harder. But then a loud roar distracted it, and it turned just in time to be thrown into the air by the tail of a green tyrannosaurus. It landed with a crash amongst some file cabinets, and as soon joined by the purple-clad man who had been wrestling with Starfire. Beast Boy and Cyborg both flashed her a high sign, which she eagerly returned, and then they were all blown down by a wave of sonic force from the saxophone player.  
Back across the room, Robin was now skillfully engaging his samurai opponent, their weapons creating a storm of sparks as they're metal met. They danced around each other, exchanging jabs, thrusts, parries, and feints. They forced themselves apart and then stood, catching their breath, their eyes never parting.  
"Finally," the samurai smiled, "An opponent worthy of my skill!"  
"Glad you approve." Robin smirked confidently. But then a long arm wrapped around his throat and constricted like a great serpent, blocking his windpipe.  
"Only a fool makes speeches on the battlefield." A sexy female voice whispered in Robin's ear.  
"Release him, Dominique! He belongs to me!" The samurai protested. While they argued Robin grabbed the woman's arm and expertly threw her over his shoulder, sending her into her counterpart, the both of them falling to the floor, struggling to untangle from each other. But Robin did not have any time to savor the victory, as he too was then floored by a blast from the saxophone player. The musician smirked and started to stroll into the center of the room, turning the wrath of his extraordinary instrument against the Titan's as they struggled to rise against him. His eyes eventually settled on Beast Boy who lay on the floor rubbing his head. He smirked, and a series of small gun barrels extended from his saxophone, aimed directly at the green changeling. The shots rang out, and Beast Boy's eyes widened in panic as he realized what was coming.  
"Azarath, Metreon, Sinthos!" Raven shouted as she flew in front of Beast Boy, a black barrier of energy appearing before her. The bullets smacked against it, cracking into splinters of metal. The musician simply smiled and unleashed a torrent of sonic energy that battered against Raven's field, testing her strength. While she struggled to keep this defense up, the boy standing on the catwalk above set his sights on the back of her neck and leveled on of his small pistols.  
"Raven!" Starfire shouted, but her warning came too late as the gun roared to life, sending its deadly missile toward her. To the eyes of Robin, Starfire, Beast Boy and Cyborg the next events seemed to go in perpetual slow motion.  
The bullet rocketed at Raven, who was just turning to see what Starfire had warned her about. The Titan's all opened their mouths to scream, as if they're cries would stop the inevitable. But at the last moment Vash cartwheeled into Raven, knocking her away, and at the same time breaking her concentration so her shield vanished. Vash kicked his leg up, and the toe of his boot met the bullet, deflecting it away. It flew into the saxophone, piercing it and rendering it unusable. Vash quickly leapt back to his feet and threw his arm forward, the hand detaching from the wrist and sliding under his forearm, another gun emerging from what had seemed to be a sleeve, its trigger settling into the palm of his false hand. He fired a rapid succession of shots, none of them actually hitting any of the thieves, but rather ricocheting over their heads or at their feet, sending them all scrambling for cover.  
"Dude…" Beast Boy said in a whisper, his voice failing him in awe.  
"Whoa…" Robin muttered, his jaw dropping.  
"Awesome…" Cyborg gasped. Starfire remained silent for a moment, words failing her, before she found her voice.  
"Wondrous!" She shouted, throwing her arms open as if to embrace the sudden action by the blonde haired stranger. But her joy was drained from her when Robin struck against her skull with his staff.  
"Not again!" Robin snarled as he, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all turned to face Raven, Starfire, and Vash.  
"That will be quite enough, all of you." Legato said from the doorway. All eyes turned to him. He leaned against the doorframe, a hand pressed against his wounded head, a small trickle of blood dripping from beneath that blue hair. The strange enemies all stood and moved toward him. Starfire and Raven both scowled, green and black energy starting to glow in their eyes. Vash leveled his pistol at Legato once again, even though he knew the threat was hollow. In response, Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all turned against each other; Robin came up behind Beast Boy and began choking him with his staff, while Cyborg leveled his weapon at both of them.  
"Interfere, by all means, and watch them die." Legato said, the arrogant self-assurance returning to his voice. The three with their free will still about them all sighed with resignation and stood down. Legato smiled, and his eyes flicked around to regard his companions. "We have what we came for. Let us not waste anymore time here." The gang all offered the Titans and their new friend dirty looks as they all stepped out of the room. Legato was the last to leave. He walked backwards, his eyes never leaving the three. But as he started to vanish into the darkness, he called out to Vash. "Oh, and by the way, I lied."  
Robin, Cyborg, and Beast Boy all turned on their teammates instantly. Beast Boy leapt at Raven and landed on her as a constrictor snake, tightening its coils about her. Cyborg opened fire on Vash, who became a blur of motion as he dodged. Robin hurled several birdarangs at Starfire, who blasted them all out of the air with a single green bolt.  
"Friends, please, stop!" She pleaded as Robin leapt at her.  
"We can't!" Cyborg cried in frustration. The assault lasted only a few more moments before the three young men all suddenly dropped away from their defensive postures, their heads hanging in shame.  
"You guys okay?" Raven asked cautiously. Robin looked up, shame faced.  
"Yeah Raven, we're fine. But they got away."  
"Who were those guys?" Cyborg asked the air.  
"That was Legato, and the Gung Ho Guns." Vash responded, surprising the Titans, who had all but forgotten he was there. "Well, some of them at least."  
"Who are you?" Robin asked as he stepped forward, offering his hand. Vash stepped forward and shook it warmly before he answered.  
"Well, my name is…Vash…Vash the Stampede." He then cringed, as if awaiting the Titan's to explode at the mention of his name. But instead, Starfire flew forward and hovered mere inches from Vash' face.  
"Greetings Mr. Stampede! Will you be my new friend?" She asked eagerly, her eyes sparkling, her hands clasped before her.  
"Um…sure." Vash said, chuckling a little, rubbing the back of his head.  
"Wondrous!" Starfire shouted and threw her arms around Vash, pulling him up off his feet with a small cracking sound emitting from between his shoulders.  
"Hey, we owe you one mister." Cyborg said as he stepped forward. "Anything we can do for you?"  
"Yeah…" Vash groaned softly, "You can get her to let me go…"  
"Heh, I think he's had enough friendly affection for one day, Star." Beast Boy said gently as he pried Starfire's arms from around Vash.  
"How do you know those guys?" Robin said, his detective's instincts kicking in.  
"Well, they're sort of from the same place I am." Vash said, obviously darting around an exact answer.  
"And where is that?"  
"Another world." Raven answered for him. The Titan's all spun to face Raven, their eyes large. Then they spun back to face Vash, who reluctantly nodded in confirmation.  
"Um…" he said, struggling for the right words. "It's kind of a long story. But it goes like this…"

In a large, dark chamber hidden deep within Jump City, a shadowy figure watched the Titan's battle with the Gung Ho Guns over and over again on a large monitor. He replayed it repeatedly, sometimes slowing it down, sometimes speeding it up. He freeze framed several times to examine the faces of the Gung Ho Guns and of the newcomer, Vash, in particular. He narrowed his single eye behind his orange and black mask.  
"So..." Slade said to himself, "Some new players have entered the game. Interesting." He rewound and watched it again.


	4. Chapter 3

3

"And that's the whole story." Vash said, taking a moment to look over the faces of his hosts. They all sat around a table, each of them pausing over their slices of pizza, looking at him, disbelieving.  
"Wow." Beast Boy finally managed to say.  
"That is such a sad story, friend Vash." Starfire said. She started to move toward him, and Vash flinched noticeably, fearing another backbreaking hug. Instead Starfire simply placed a hand on his shoulder, and he offered her a friendly smile.  
"Another world, huh?" Cyborg asked as he took a sip of his soda.  
"Does you're brother really want to wipe out all of humanity?" Raven asked seriously. When Vash nodded, Raven tilted her head curiously. "Why? I mean, they can be a little loud, and obnoxious, and show off too much…" Raven started to drone, her eyes focusing on Beast Boy, who glowered in response.  
"I don't know." Vash said, his voice growing a little screechy with emotion. "I don't know why Knives hates people so much. And its not even just humans that he hates. He just…hates." Vash sighed and closed his eyes, bowing his head as if in mourning for his lost brother.  
"It is all right, friend Vash. I do not get along with my sibling either." Starfire said, and Vash smiled, seeming to take genuine comfort.  
"Well, that explains Legato, and you, but it doesn't explain how you got here." Robin said, breaking the tender moment. "And it doesn't explain why they were attacking the nuclear power plant."  
"Oh, that." Vash chuckled, as if he were embarrassed at leaving that detail out of his story. "Well, to tell the truth, I'm a little in the dark about that myself right now. I just remember he tricked me into…doing something I didn't want to do, and there was this really bright light, and when I opened my eyes I was here, on the outskirts of you're city."  
"So…we have no idea what Knives is up to?" Beast Boy asked. Vash shook his head.  
"I can try to find out just what was stolen from the plant. Maybe that will give us a clue." Robin suggested.  
"I can run a scan of the city and see if I can pick up any weird energy signatures, maybe that will clue us in to how you got here." Cyborg added.  
"Hey," Vash started to protest, "I can't ask you kids to go out of you're way to help me. Knives is my responsibility. I'll…"  
"He may be you're brother, but it's our city." Robin interrupted.  
"Besides, if he really is up to something dangerous, we'll have to help you stop him." Raven added.  
"Yeah. Don't worry man, its what we do!" Beast Boy said, clapping Vash on the shoulder enthusiastically.  
"Yes, friend Vash! Please, be of good spirit. Here, eat you're food!" Starfire said, and with that promptly stuffed a whole slice of pizza right into Vash's mouth. His eyes bulged and he gagged a little as he struggled to chew the huge mouthful he had been force-fed. The other Titan's all could not restrain some laughter as they watched Vash struggle.  
This happiness was interrupted by a massive crashing sound. The Titan's and their Vash all swung their heads to look down the street, where the sound, like that of the coming footsteps of a giant, where coming from. They all watched in confusion and astonishment as a mechanical monstrosity that only loosely resembled a giant Doberman rounded the corner and began thromping down the street toward them.  
"Hey, Robin!" a new voice shouted, and all head's turned to see Johnny Rancid sitting atop his motorcycle not ten feet away. He gestured toward the monstrous robot and smiled arrogantly, "How do you punks like my new dog?" He reared his head back and laughed maniacally.   
"Titans, go!" Robin shouted, and instantly the Titans all leapt into action, leaving Vash seated alone at the table, pizza sauce and grease still dripping down his chin.  
The robot dog raised one of its paws, and the claws at the end launched from its appendage, revealing to be rockets. It also fired a pair of lasers from its eyes, and a burst of flame poured from its mouth.   
Cyborg threw himself to the ground, shoulder first, and rolled expertly under the rocket barrage, and then fired a shot of his own which blasted the paw the attack had come from to scrap. The rockets were then surrounded by a black glow and stopped in their tracks, and then turned straight up, soared into the sky and detonated well away from the Titans or anyone else. Starfire hovered up into the sky, dodging the lasers that roared past her, and then threw a pair of green bolts that destroyed the eyes those lasers had emitted from. Robin pulled his cape up over his body, shielding him as the flame roared around him, and then threw a birdarang that flew into the robot's mouth and exploded. Finally, Beast Boy morphed into a massive rhinoceros and charged forward, ramming the robot full force, sending it crashing back against the concrete structure of nearby building.  
Johnny sat atop his motorcycle, gaping at the speed with which the Titans had destroyed his new pet. Then he snarled with rage and revved the engine of his bike, ready to engage the Titans himself. Two gunshots later, however, saw the tires of his bike slowly deflating. He sat for a moment, frozen with disbelief, and then looked across the street at where Vash stood, his smoking pistol in hand.  
"I don't know who you are, but you are gonna wish you never…" Johnny started to snarl, but was interrupted by a loud bang, and then thrown through the air when a large, metal X slammed into him, knocking his bike over and throwing him through the air, and then through the window of a florist shop behind him.  
The Titans all gawked at what had just happened, but Vash brightened. They all turned to see two women come running down the street, one of them holding a very large and intimidating weapon over her shoulder.  
"There he is!" the shorter, dark haired one said, pointing at Vash.  
"Girls!" Vash said happily, and went running to meet them, open armed. But rather than embrace him in reunion, the dark haired woman floored Vash with a direct blow across the top of his skull, which sent him to the ground with a thud. "What's the big idea?" She shouted down at him, "You left us all alone outside this city, with no idea where we were! Who knows what could have happened to us!"  
"Ow." Was Vash's only response.  
"Um…these ladies friends of yours Vash?" Beast Boy asked nervously as the Titans all came forward. Vash propped himself up on his elbows, one hand rubbing the top of his head, the other gesturing toward the two women.  
"Guys, these are…"  
"I am Meryl Stryfe the Bernardelli Insurance Society." The dark haired woman said, and with that produced an identification card that she held up for the Titans to see. "However, in some parts I am better known as 'Derringer Meryl.'"  
"And I'm Millie Thompson." The taller, brown haired woman added.  
"Greetings!" Starfire said, flying forward eagerly, just as she had earlier when introduced to Vash. "Will you also be my new friends?"  
"Sure." Millie replied, enthusiastically.  
"Wondrous!" Starfire shouted and threw her arms around Millie. The Titans all flinched, fearing Starfire would break the poor woman in two as she almost had Vash. But instead, Millie giggled and threw her arms around Starfire in an equally powerful embrace.  
"Nice to meet you." Robin said as he strode forward and took Meryl's hand. "I'm Robin, and these are the Teen Titans. That's Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, and I think you've already met Starfire." He said, gesturing to each of his companions.  
"Well, its nice to meet you too cutie." Meryl said, talking to Robin as if he were ten years old.  
"Cutie?" Robin muttered, arching an eyebrow.  
"Why are you all dressed up, is it a holiday or something?" Millie asked, still embracing Starfire.  
"Um…it requires a lot of explaining." Raven said.  
"Oh, its always a special day when we meet lovely ladies such as yourself." Beast Boy said, striding forward, pushing Robin out of the way, and putting on his best charming smile. "Tell me, how does a pretty, purple eyed thing like you end up in a place like this?"  
"That's what we'd like to know." Meryl said, giving Beast Boy and odd look.  
"Hey Vash, who are the kids?" came another new voice. All eyes turned to see a man dressed all in black leaning against a nearby wall, a large, cross shaped object wrapped in a white sheet alongside him. He stepped forward into the streetlight, revealing his ruggedly handsome face and piercing blue eyes.  
"We're…" Robin started to say when Raven and Starfire darted past him and stood before the man.  
"Hi…I'm Raven…" Raven said, a slight blush in her cheeks, her voice struggling to rise when she felt those eyes lock on her.  
"Yes…and I am Starfire…it is very, very nice to meet you." Starfire said, also blushing, her eyes sparkling a little.  
"Well, its nice to meet you too, Raven and Starfire." He took their hands, bowed his head and placed a tiny kiss on them, and then offered them a smile that made them both curl their toes inside their shoes. "I'm Wolfwood."  
"I'll destroy all of you!" Johnny Rancid growled. They all jumped with surprised, having completely forgotten about him for the past few moments. He stood, breathing heavily, as his two red energy daggers appeared in his hands. "I'll rip you apart! I'll tear you a…" but his words died in his throat when a pair of tiny bullets shattered the daggers right in his hands. All eyes turned to Meryl, who had thrown her coat open to reveal a series of strange cases wrapped around her body. In her hands she held a pair of tiny Derringer pistols. Johnny croaked hoarsely and dropped to his knees, the weight of disbelief pushing him down.  
"Hey, you shouldn't be playing with Knives and monsters." Vash said, stepping forward. "You should live a happy life, according to the ideals of love, and peace. Now, repeat after me!" Vash said, his voice growing almost preachy. Meryl groaned and rolled her eyes, as if she had heard this all before. "This land…" Vash shouted.  
"Th-this land…" Johnny repeated, his mind struggling to grasp what was going on.  
"This land…" Vash boomed, "This land is made of…love and peace!" He thrust his arm forward, the fingers of his hand twisted around each other a strange sort of gesture. "Love and peace!" He repeated, pulling his arm back and then thrusting it back forward.  
"Love and peace!" Stafire shouted enthusiastically as she flew up alongside Vash and mimicked his gesture.  
"Love and peace!" Beast Boy shouted as well, now standing alongside Vash as well, and also repeating the gesture.  
"I don't believe this…" Meryl groaned, shaking her head. "We've only just met them and already they're talking like him." The other Titans and Wolfwood just watched, sweat drops of embarrassment starting to slide down their foreheads.  
"Love and peace!" Vash, Starfire, and Beast Boy continued to shout. "Love and peace!"


	5. Chapter 4

4

Legato paused a moment outside the door. He always masked whatever little emotion lurked within him, but right now there was no hiding the fact that he was utterly terrified. His face contorted as he struggled to swallow his fear and reach out for the doorknob, but he found himself unable to suppress it. He had images of his own body being broken in ways unimaginable as soon as he relayed his message. Finally he swallowed the knot in his throat and stepped inside.  
Knives was lying on the bed, his face buried in a book. All over the room there were stacks of books, as well as the crumpled remnants of newspapers and magazines. He had been reading voraciously every since their arrival, only taking breaks to indulge in food or to give Legato new instructions. The books were of a variety of topics; in one stack Legato saw texts entitled "The Holy Koran" or "The New Book of Faith." In another he saw "The Turner Diaries" and "The Golden Bough." Some of them he could not understand, because they were written in languages he had never seen before. The fact that his master could absorb all this knowledge was only proof of his superiority to the human race he so loathed.  
"Master…" Legato started to say, but Knives raised an arm, gesturing for him to be silent.  
"Only a storm of hot passion can turn the destinies of peoples, and he alone can arouse passion who bears it within himself…" Knives read aloud. He then closed the book and looked across the room at Legato.  
"What is that, master?" Legato asked, hoping he could avoid the topic on his mind a little longer.  
"A typical example of humanity." Knives said, and tossed the book aside. It landed at Legato's feet, and he looked down at the cover and read the title: "Mein Kampf."  
"What do you want, Legato?" Knives sighed.  
"Master…" Legato said, almost choking on the words, the sigh making him fear Knives already knew what he was going to say. "There were…complications. You're brother, Vash the Stampede, he is…"  
"Yes, I know." Knives said, brushing it aside.  
"You do?" How?" Knives answered Legato by picking up a small, black object from the nightstand next to the bed and pointing it at the device on the other side of the room. He pressed a button, and the screen blinked to life. Legato's eyes widened for a moment, surprised at the novelty of this contraption.  
"Cable television." Knives said, and then pressed another couple of buttons, and the image changed to pictures of the Teen Titan's battle with Johnny Rancid. "Apparently someone stole some materials from the nuclear power plant. The mission was successful." He stood up and stretched a little while Legato allowed his shoulders to slump down from alongside his ears, the tension of fear vanishing from his body.  
"You are not worried about Vash interfering, then?" he asked.  
"This world is even more dangerous than the one we've come from, Legato..." Knives said as he stepped up to one of the bay windows, looking out at the lights of the city. "Full of the works of humans. It just means all the more chances for Vash to get himself killed. And besides, now that he's going to see what human's are really like, he'll start to think differently. And if he does get involved, I'll handle him myself. In the meantime, I intend to just keep moving forward."  
"You wish us to move on to the second phase, then?" Legato said, a small smile playing across his lips. Knives nodded. Legato started to turn to leave when Knives called to him again.  
"And Legato…" When the blue haired killer turned around, Knives pointed to the television screen, where an image of Raven and Starfire flashed. "Those two…they intrigue me. I want to meet them." Legato nodded and left.

"No! You can't do that! No fair!" Vash screeched and hurriedly pressed buttons. Beast Boy cackled with triumph and proceeded to lap Vash again. In the past couple of days he had been teaching Vash the finer points of video game playing, and thus far Vash had been struggling to keep up.  
"Please friends, do not be shy" Stafire encouraged Millie and Meryl from behind the counter. "We have supplies aplenty to make anything you desire."  
"Well…now that you mention it, a banana sundae would be nice." Meryl said, smiling softly.  
"And a milleffeuille cake, and a Ceylon tea set." Millie added.  
"I will begin immediately." Starfire said and turned toward the refrigerator. She paused a moment, and then she turned back to face the two ladies, blushing. "Um…how does one go about making a banana sundae?" she giggled. Meryl smiled and came around the counter alongside her to help.  
"So, tell us about this Slade." Wolfwood said to Robin over his the chessboard. Robin didn't raise his eyes to address him, not wanting to break his concentration for anything.  
"Well, he's a criminal." Cyborg said from across the room while he examined Vash's pistol. "Man, who made this thing? The design work is incredible."  
"Um…Knives made it." Vash said, turning his head to address Cyborg. "He made that one, and its twin."  
"It's twin?"  
"Yeah, he has one just like…" the sound of a computerized explosion drew Vash's attention away, and he turned back to the screen, and promptly saw his character being destroyed. He yelped and pressed more buttons.  
"Slade's caused a lot of trouble in the past." Robin said, getting back on the topic as he moved one of his chess pieces on the board. "He's helped dangerous criminals escape, nearly took over the city, and even kidnapped me for a while."  
"Sounds like a real tough guy." Wolfwood said as he moved one of his pieces in response.  
"Yeah. I'd give anything to know more about him. Check." Robin raised his eyes to look at Wolfwood, smirking. Wolfwood just smiled in response and moved his queen out of harms way.  
"Oh, we do not have banana's, or tea, or strange sounding cakes." Stafire moaned sadly.  
"That's okay. We probably don't want to spoil our dinner anyway." Millie said comfortingly.  
"Did someone say dinner?" Beast Boy said as he dropped his controller, leaving Vash still struggling, and dashed across the room. "Who's up for tofu?"  
"What's tofu?" Meryl asked.  
"Dude, you don't know what tofu is? What kind of a planet do you come from?" Beast Boy gasped, but then stepped forward, pushing his chest out and flashing a toothy smile. "But don't you worry, I'll introduce you to its wonders!" He threw the refrigerator door open, his face sinking when he saw its contents. "There's no food!" he shouted.  
"Someone'll have to go grocery shopping." Cyborg said casually as he sat down next to Vash to take Beast Boy's place.  
"It's Raven's turn." Robin said. "Someone better go tell her."  
"I'll do it." Wolfwood said, rising out of his seat.  
"Wait, we're not done with this game yet!" Robin called to him. Wolfwood stopped, turned around, walked back, and casually moved a couple of pieces on the board.  
"Checkmate." He said, smirking as he started back again.  
"Wait a minute!" Robin shouted after him. "This is not checkmate! THIS IS NOT CHECKMATE!" He lowered his face to the board and examined the pieces, before grudgingly muttering, "Ah…checkmate." He flicked Wolfwood's king, knocking it over.

Wolfwood found Raven in her room. The door was closed, so he knocked. Raven flung the door open, her face lowered into a scowl at the interruption. When she saw it was him, however, a light pink stained her cheeks.  
"Oh, Nick…hi, I didn't know it was you."  
"Mind if I come in?" He said, offering her one of his charming smiles, and she nodded and stepped aside, clearing the way for him. He stepped into her room, narrowing his eyes as they adjusted to the interior darkness. He looked at some of the mystical objects that decorated the walls and shelves.  
"Nice décor." He quipped.  
"Heh, I don't usually let people in here. I value my privacy." Raven said as she pulled her hood up, not wanting him to see her blushing. "So, what can I do for you?"  
"You're friends say its you're turn to go grocery shopping. I offered to come tell you."  
"Oh…" Raven said, her heart lowering at the idea he had not come here of his own choice. "Yeah…hold on." She turned to her dresser when she felt the warmth of his hand on her shoulder.  
"But, if you don't mind the company, I'll gladly go with you." She turned and looked up at him, and saw in his face genuine friendliness. It made the corners of her mouth turn up in a warm smile. He returned it. "Now there you are, that's the real girl."  
"What do you mean?" Raven said.  
"That smile." Wolfwood said as he reached down and gently pulled Raven's hood down to look at her face. "You put up such a barrier against everyone that you don't let them see the real person underneath. You're afraid of being hurt." Raven's face dropped, her eyes growing large at his words. She wanted to protest, but found herself unable to, because inside, she knew the truth of them. She looked up into the eyes of this man, this stranger, and listened as he continued to read her. "Or, maybe you're a little afraid of yourself. Its a lot easier to understand the world inside of you're head than it is the world outside of you're body, isn't it? That's this man's assessment, anyway."  
Raven bit her lower lip when she felt a small lump starting to form in her throat. Wolfwood had just broken down her fears and desires in such a simple manner it almost devastated her. She looked at him, and felt a strong desire to hug him, to open up to him and let her feelings out. To finally have someone who would understand was something that she could barely hope for.  
"Its okay to open up now and then…" Wolfwood said, as if reading her mind. "Everyone needs someone to put some trust in. That's what I've got this for."  
Raven gasped when he covered her head with the strange box, the emotions she had just felt welling up inside of her vanishing in an instant. She narrowed her eyes at him through the ridiculous little windows.  
"What is this?" she muttered.  
"It's a confessional." Wolfwood said and winked. "Except its portable. Got something you want to get off you're chest, I'm happy to listen." Raven yanked the church shaped box off her head and shoved it into Wolfwood's hands.  
"No thanks." She said dryly, pulling her hood back up over her face. She turned and walked out. Wolfwood smiled and followed.

Slade sat atop his throne-like chair, addressing the hulking shapes that stood before him.  
"Whoever this Knives is, he is most troublesome. But he shall have to wait." He said. "My plans are too far along to stop now. You all have you're orders, see to it that you let nothing stop you."  
Cinderblock, Overload, and Plasmus all grunted their responses and moved to carry out Slade's commands.

Things are starting to heat up, are't they, true believers? I just wanted to issue a special thanks to commanderlink and NocturneD for being such dedicated fans of this fic, and for submitting all those reviews. I am glad to know you've found it so entertaining, and I assure you there will only be greater things ahead, especially when the Gung Ho Guns meet Slade's flunkies. And I challenge you all to guess what the link between Vash's world and The Teen Titan's world is. Till next chapter!


	6. Chapter 5

5

The sun rose over the harbor, its orange and yellow rays reflecting magnificently off the water in dazzling ripples of illumination. The seagulls cawed through the air, breaking the incredible stillness of the morning air. The atmosphere of the Titan's Tower was incredibly calm, despite the layer of tension that had descended in the past couple of days as the Titan's and their guests anxiously waited for Knives to make his next move.  
"Ah, another glorious day!" Starfire sighed as she sat up in bed, stretching her arms out wide as if to embrace the coming day. She floated up out of bed and hurried about dressing herself. She then went sailing through the hallways, calling out to her companions. "Rise my friends, there is another new day ahead of us!" She knocked lightly on their doors, not even waiting to hear the grumbles that came from behind them. She soared through an open window and up into the sky above the tower to better savor the view as the sun rose. She smiled at the magnificent sigh and could not restrain laughter of joy.  
She was silenced, however, when she saw Vash sitting on the roof. He was seated on the ledge, gazing out at the horizon, looking quite sad. She floated down behind him and then slowly walked up alongside him. If he detected her, he gave no indication of it. "Does something trouble you, friend-Vash?" she asked softly. He turned and offered her a smile.  
"I'm fine, Starfire. I was just…thinking."  
"About what?" she asked as she sat down next to him. He looked back out at the horizon.  
"I'm not sure. About Rem, mostly." Starfire did not know what to say for a moment. Vash had spoken about Rem when he told them his story. She faded in and out of his explanation, and he each time he spoke her name fondly. It was obvious she meant a great deal to him.  
"This Rem…tell me about her. What was she like?" Vash smiled and closed his eyes, warming up to the topic perfectly.  
"What words can I say?" he said, his voice soft, "She was wonderful. Everything about her. She was so beautiful, like an angel…and kind. She was the kindest person I ever knew. She was the one who taught me about…" he stopped then, and smiled lightly. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "It must all sound pretty silly." He chuckled.  
"No, no." Starfire said and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You're philosophy of love and peace it is…it is refreshing!" She said, giving him a bright smile. "Perhaps we Titans have been fighting so hard, we have forgotten the comforts of peace and harmony. I will definitely tell my people of this the next time I go back to…" her words were broken off when Vash placed his hand over hers. Their eyes locked, and she found within him a genuine warmth and caring that she had not known since childhood.  
"You probably would have liked Rem, Starfire." He said sincerely, "You remind me of her in a lot of ways." Starfire searched for the words before she smiled warmly at him.  
"Thank you, friend Vash. A higher compliment I cannot imagine."  
"Hey you two, coming to breakfast?" Wolfwood called from the stairway. Starfire turned, her eyes glazing over at the brief view she got of his muscular torso as he buttoned up his shirt. She flew forward, knocking Vash nearly off the ledge.  
"Oh yes, come let us enjoy a most hearty breakfast!" She grabbed Wolfwood's hand, nearly ripping his arm from the socket as she flew back inside, dragging him behind her.

And indeed, it was a hearty breakfast. The Titans and their guests all sat around the table, chatting contently to the tune of forks against plates. But that was until the tower's alarm blared, blasting all of them with the sound of emergency. It startled the newcomers, causing Wolfwood to spit a mouthful of coffee right across the table into Robin's face. Meryl jumped, her fork of scrambled eggs flying from her hand into Beast Boy's hair in a yellow and green mess. Millie also jumped right in the middle of taking a slice of pancake, which promptly flew into the aid and landed with a splat on top of Cyborg's head. Vash gave a shriek and fell over in his seat onto the floor.  
"Abandon ship!" he gasped as he pulled himself up.  
"It's not that, Vash." Robin said as he wiped his face clean and then leapt up and ran out of the room.  
"There's trouble." Raven explained as she also rose up to join her companions. The four travelers followed their hosts into the living room area, where Robin stood before a large monitor screen. A digital map of the city was displayed on it, with red lights blinking in several different districts.  
"Is it Legato again?" Vash said, leaning in over Robin's shoulder.  
"No, it's Slade." Robin snarled, narrowing his eyes. Vash looked into the Boy Wonder's face and saw a frightening intensity that he had only seen once before; in himself, the day he first confronted Legato. "Cinderblock, Plasmus, and Overload are all on the move. It's got to be Slade."  
"So, what are we waiting for?" Cyborg said and turned to head for the doorway when he felt Wolfwood's hand on his shoulder.  
"Not without us, you're not."  
"No way." Robin immediately protested. "You guys could get hurt."  
"I could not allow my new friends to be harmed." Starfire gasped, throwing her arms around Millie.  
"Yeah, well, what else we got to do?" Wolfwood shrugged.  
"Besides, you kids need adult supervision." Meryl said pointedly. The Titans all groaned embarrassedly at her statement.  
"And besides, what if you run into Legato out there?" Vash added.  
"He has a point man. You saw how he handled us last time." Cyborg added. Robin sighed with resignation.  
"All right, but we'll do this in teams." He looked up, his face determined, taking charge once again. He pointed at each of his companions as he issued instructions now. "Vash, since you, Starfire and Raven are the ones unaffected, the three of you go after Cinderblock together. That way, if the rest of us do run into Legato, the three of you will still be able to do something." Vash nodded, and then followed Raven and Starfire out the door. "Cyborg, take Wolfwood and Beast Boy and go after Plasmus. Millie, Meryl and I will take care of Overload." And with that, they were off.

Knives slammed his fist angrily down onto the table, nearly knocking over his glass of wine. He glowered at the television set, where he saw the press coverage of Overload's attack on an electronics warehouse.  
"Someone…" he snarled, "Is sticking they're nose in my business."

"Pretty nice ride you got here, kid." Wolfwood smirked from underneath his sunglasses. He ran his hand over the upholstery of Cyborg's car, admiringly. "Course, it wouldn't even come close to matching my bike."  
"Ha, you wish." Cyborg scoffed from the diver's seat. "I built this baby by hand. Every bit of her is guaranteed to…"  
"Dude, can we focus on the job at hand here!" Beast Boy interrupted, shaking the two from their conversation.  
"So, just what the heck is this Plasmus?" Wolfwood asked.  
"Technically speaking…" Cyborg said as he struggled for the right words to describe their enemy.  
"He's a big ball of snot." Beast Boy added.  
"Huh?" Wolfwood arched an eyebrow.  
"You'll see when we get there." Cyborg assured.  
"And you won't like it." Beast Boy added, and they fell silent for the next several minutes. Eventually the burst through the chain link gate of the airbase, screeching to a half on the tarmac, where they were confronted by the oozing form of Plasmus, who evidently was stopping whatever he was doing for a snack. He reached into the large hole he had just ripped in the asphalt and broke off a sewage pipe.  
"What the hell's he going to do with that?" Wolfwood said, blanching at the sight. The answer came when Plasmus stuck the pipe in his mouth and started sucking, like a baby at a bottle. Wolfwood balked. "That's disgusting!"  
"Not as disgusting as what he's about to do!" Cyborg shouted when Plasmus looked up and saw them. He dropped the pipe, drew back with a snarl, and that spat a blob of purple-colored gunk that burst across the windshield and then dripped down the glass. Beast Boy and Cyborg both looked over their shoulders at Wolfwood, whose face had washed white, his jaw hanging.  
"It…it…it's chunky…" He managed to babble before he turned green and scrambled out the door to crouch alongside the vehicle and wretched. Cyborg and Beast Boy looked at each other, shrugged, and stepped out.

"Whee!" Mille said, throwing her arms up over her head, enjoying the feeling as the wind whipped her hair around her face. Robin sighed through his helmet.  
"Can't you get her to stop doing that?" He said over his shoulder to Meryl, who was seated behind him with her arms wrapped around his waist. Millie was seated in a passenger carrier that Robin had kept in waiting for just such occasions.  
"Millie, control yourself." Meryl said, thinking that she was turning to face her companion when in fact her face was nearly buried in Robin's shoulder, unable to tell since she had her eyes closed tight. Riding a motorcycle was a new experience for her, and in truth, it terrified her greatly.  
"Sorry." Millie sulked, slumping her shoulders. But no sooner had she said this than Robin tore into another right turn, and she threw her arms up into the air once again. "Whee!" Robin and Meryl groaned, but then turned their attention to the task at hand. Soon enough they pulled up to the doors of a large electronics warehouse. Meryl and Millie's jaws both dropped when they saw the havoc that had been wreaked on the place: the fence was half melted, the doors torn off their hinges. The cameras that lined the fence were all blown apart, sparks still flying from their remnants, and several panels that lined the outside wall were also destroyed.  
"What happened here?" Meryl asked. She was answered by a low, deep groaning sound. All head's swung around to one of the crushed panel's, which emitted a series of sparks and volts before it burst, a bolt of lighting seeming to fly from it. The bolt then seemed to solidify, taking on a roughly humanoid shape. Overload looked at the three and raised his arms over his head and roared a defiant challenge.  
"Is that…?" Millie squeaked.  
"Yeah." Robin said, narrowing his eyes. He wrenched his wrist, pushing hard on the gas, and sent the motorcycle roaring toward the sparking giant.

"A steel mill?" Vash said from inside the bubble Raven had him encased in as they flew toward their destination. "What could he want at a steel mill?"  
"Don't know. But he's not going to get it." Raven said.  
"With you to aid us, friend-Vash, we shall surely be victorious." Stafire said enthusiastically. She was cut off, however, when a large steel girder speared into her like a javelin, knocking her from the sky.  
"Stafire!" Vash and Raven both shouted simultaneously. They then turned their gaze down toward the yard of the steel mill, where Cinderblock snarled up at them. "Let me at him, coach!" Vash said determinedly. Raven nodded and released the bubble, throwing Vash toward Cinderblock.  
He flew forward, extending the steel-toed tip of his boot to kick Cinderblock hard across the face. It shook the rock-monster, sending him stumbling off balance. Vash brought one foot against the surface of his head and pushed himself off, leaping away from Cinderblock's flailing arms to land behind him like an animal, crouched and ready to pounce.  
Cinderblock spun to face his new enemy, and charged.

Cyborg ducked another ball of muck and returned fire. The shot tore through Plasmus, leaving a gaping hole, which quickly was filled in again. Beast Boy scurried under Cyborg's legs in the form of a mouse, then turning into a charging rhinoceros, barreling toward the oozing monster. But Plasmus grabbed a hold of his tusk and hurled him aside. He landed against the tarmac, once again his metahuman form.  
A series of large bullets tore into Plasmus' side, and he turned to face Wolfwood, who had removed the sheet from his cross-like luggage to reveal a massive gun. He fired again, and the series of shots irritated Plasmus like a bright light, as he held his hands up to block a few from his eyes and took a step back. Wolfwood took the opening to swing the cross around in his hands and fire a small rocket from its opposite end, which literally blew Plasmus' head off, sending globs of toxic ooze in all directions.  
"Boo-yah! Great job" Cyborg shouted, waving to Wolfwood, who waved back with a satisfied smile. But a long moan from Plasmus broke their celebration, and they both watched in surprise as the multiple eyes and jagged teeth simply regenerated in their previous position. Plasmus spat another blob at them, which Wolfwood promptly blasted in apart in the air with another rocket.  
Beast Boy now turned into a tyrannosaurus and leveled Plasmus with a swing from his massive tail. It threw Plasmus forward, leaving him vulnerable for Cyborg to fire a bolt into his mouth, which apparently did not agree with him as Plasmus' stomach exploded outward, much the way his head had moments ago. Wolfwood also pressed the attack, firing a succession of bullets that severed one of Plasmus' hands.  
The monster quivered into a pile of goop, apparently wounded by the ferocity of the assault, before morphing into hits hulking for once more, roaring with rage. It spat and threw a series of blobs that sent the heroes ducking for cover. Plasmus hurried over to the sewer pipe he had broke earlier, and promptly disappeared into it.  
"Yeah!" Beast Boy shouted, throwing his hand in the air, and then launching into a victory dance. "Go Beast Boy, go Beast Boy, it's you're…"  
"I wonder how the others are doing." Wolfwood interrupted.

Overload leapt at the wire fence and vanished in a crack of electricity. The fence then tore up out of the ground and wrapped around the three companions like a constrictor, slowly tightening to squeeze the life from them.  
Meryl groaned as the wire grew tighter around her body, and managed to slip her hand underneath her coat, and immediately her body seemed to explode as the carrying cases for her derringers unfolded, pushing the fencing far enough to give them all some breathing space. A few birdarangs and Derringer shots later saw the fence torn to scraps, and Overload vacated it in favor of facing them directly.  
Millie leveled her massive weapon and fired one of the massive bolts, but Overload merely backhanded it away. The girls dived to either side to dodge the projectile, while Robin leapt high over the top of it, somersaulting through the air, aiming a direct kick at the sparking titan. But Overload grabbed a hold of the extended leg and gave Robin a jolt of electricity before tossing him aside.  
A pair of bullets tore two small holes into the circuit card that served as Overload's brain, and he gave a loud screech of pain at the attack. He spun to find Meryl with a pair of smoking Derringer's in hand. She fired another couple of shots, but this time they simply froze the moment they touched Overload's surging aura, and instead flew back toward her. She opened her mouth to scream, but was knocked out of the way by Robin, who pushed her down under the bullet's path.  
"Millie, the fire hydrant!" He shouted to the grown haired woman. Millie looked to where the Boy Wonder pointed, and then smirked. She took aim and fired. This shot, however, went right between Overload's legs and right into a fire hydrant resting behind him. The bolt tore the metal hydrant away, sending a spray of water into the air to land as rain over the combatants. Overload screeched and vanished into one of the broken electrical panels.  
"That's one weapon Slade will never have: teamwork." Robin smiled as he helped Meryl up.  
"I just hope Vash is doing okay." She said, biting her lower lip.

Vash loosed a volley with the automatic weapon hidden in his arms. The bullets mostly just bounced off Cinderblock, some taking small pebbles off him. But nonetheless, the stone villain held up his hands to avoid any of them going in his eyes or mouth, like a person in a swarm of gnats.  
Several green bolts slammed into his back, and Cinderblock grunted in acknowledgement, as if Starfire's attack were no more than a mere irritation. She soared forward, pulling her fist back to deliver a crushing blow. But Cinderblock caught her punch before it connected. He tossed her away, throwing her into Vash, the impact sending both of them flying.  
"Azarath, Metreon, Sinthos!" Raven chanted, and a black glow appeared around a crane nearby, lifting it into the air, and dropping it right on top of their enemy. The heroes had a moment of fleeting joy before the crane was torn apart from the bottom-side up as Cinderblock ripped his way back up.  
"Does this guy know when to quit?" Vash muttered  
"Evidently not. I guess we'll have to teach him." A new voice came. The three spun to see none other than Midvalley the Hornfreak standing several feet away. He put his instrument to his lips and blasted Cinderblock with a wave of sonic force, sending him stumbling back right into the arms of Gray the Ninelives, who leveled his fellow monster with a tremendous hit across its stony face. While the two titans battled, Starfire, Raven, and Vash found themselves surrounded as all of the Gung Ho Guns emerged.  
Starfire's eyes began to glow green when Hoppered the Gauntlet darted forward and rammed into her, full force, throwing her to the ground. She twitched for a moment before going limp as she blacked out.  
"Starfire!" Raven gasped, so distracted that there was no way she could detect Dominique the Cyclops appear behind her. All Raven knew then was the feel of Dominique's gun across the back of her skull, and Raven joined her companion in unconsciousness.  
Vash stood alone now, facing down the Gung Ho Guns in their entirety. Legato now stepped forward, the same arrogant smirk crossing his face.  
"What do you want?" Vash snarled as he leveled his gun at Legato.  
"Its not what I want." Legato said in a matter of fact tone. With that, Vash found himself overwhelmed as Midvalley gave a simple blow into his saxophone, and Vash's body was wracked by unspeakable pain. He collapsed to his knees, managing to stay awake just long enough to see Leonof the Puppet Master and Chapel the Evergreen move toward Raven and Starfire. Then Vash's world went black.


	7. Chapter 6

7

"Vash? Vash? Vash, can you hear me?"  
Robin's voice broke into the stillness, making him aware of the world once again. Vash slowly opened his eyes, the concerned face of Robin the first thing he saw. He sat up against the force of the throbbing in his head, rubbing one of his temples.  
"Uh…" he groaned, "What happened?"  
"We were hoping you'd tell us." Wolfwood said.  
"Where's Starfire, and Raven?" Robin said, crouching down alongside Vash and gripping the collar of his jacket a little, adding emphasis to his demand.  
"Hold up, hold up." Cyborg said, pulling Robin away. "Give the man a chance to recoup."  
Wolfwood helped Vash to his feet. The spiky haired man took a long look around, slowly refreshing his memory with his surroundings.  
"Wait…" he held up a hand to keep anyone from speaking, "I remember…" then his eyes went wide as it all came flooding back. "Legato!" he cried and spun around, as if he expected he blue haired phantom to be summoned by his words.  
"What about him?" Robin said, the urgency in his voice rising as Vash mentioned the dreaded foe.  
"He took them." He said. Robin gave a growl of frustration and walked away, afraid he would explode at his friends in his anger. "I'm sorry…" Vash said, and then looked at his feet.  
"Don't worry." Cyborg said, placing a comforting hand on Vash's shoulder, "We'll get them back."  
"But how?" Millie asked, her stun gun draped over her shoulder.  
"Maybe if we find out what they stole it'll help." Beast Boy suggested.  
"There's bound to be only so many places a guy like Legato can hide in this city." Wolfwood added.  
"Well?" Meryl asked them all collectively, "What are we waiting for?"  
"Lets go!" Robin called from his bike, already with his helmet on.

"Try not to move." An unfamiliar voice pierced the darkness. It disturbed what had seemed like a pleasant rest. Her eyes slowly fluttered, rays of light breaking through the night, and then finally they opened completely to reveal her surroundings.  
As Starfire moved in her seat, a dozen weapon all cocked and steadier on her.  
"Don't move." Legato said. She looked over at where he stood, and then became aware of Midvalley kneeling next to her. He withdrew a needle from her arm, and she hissed with the sting. He looked up at her, and she thought she could almost read genuine sympathy in his eyes. He held the needle up and tapped it.  
"Drugs," he explained, "From our world. Should keep you two nice and docile without doing any real damage. I gave her some too." He gestured at Raven, who sat next to Starfire, her head lolling on her shoulder. Raven's eyes rolled up to look at her companion, revealing the awareness that lay beneath them. Starfire began to understand how Raven was feeling as she felt her body going numb, becoming nothing but dead weight to her mind.  
"Leave." Legato commanded. "He wants to speak to them alone." And with that he and all the other Gung Ho Guns shuffled out of the hotel room, leaving Raven and Starfire alone. Or so they thought.  
After what seemed like a long time, someone cleared they're throat. He was standing behind them, and they could not seem him. But the heard his footsteps coming up behind them, and then he slowly came into their view as he stepped around them and then stood in front of them. He bore a striking resemblance to Vash, but most definitely different. His hair was shorter and lighter, and his eyes did not bare the same open heartiness and warmth that Vash's did. In its place there was only cunning and wicked heartlessness. It let them know just whom they now faced.  
"Knives." Raven said, her voice slurred as her lips could hardly move. Knives smiled and nodded his head.  
"You would seem to have me at a disadvantage." He smirked. "But the truth is, you are the ones at a disadvantage. Feels like having a lead bodysuit tied around you, doesn't it?" he said. He stepped forward and gave Raven's head a gentle push with the tip of his finger. It rolled to the side limply on her neck, and for a moment she was afraid she would tip over onto the floor. "Tell me" he went on, "Why do you do it?"  
"Do what?" Starfire asked as her own words began to slur.  
"Waste you're time." He responded. He crouched down and looked her in the eyes, and she saw in him nothing but a soulless pit of emptiness. And at the bottom of her own heart, it made her afraid to face him. "The two of you have so much power, so much potential, yet you squander it on these insects." He gestured toward the window, which overlooked the city. "Why?"  
"They're human beings." Raven added, narrowing her eyes, the only gesture she could make to show the burning anger she felt building toward him.  
"My point exactly." He hissed. "The two of you are not human. You're purer, stronger, better. And yet you've willingly surrounded yourself with them. And you even waste you're talents trying to protect them from themselves."  
"It's right." Starfire said, trying to turn her eyes away from him.  
Knives chuckled, and gave her a gentle tap upside her head, causing her to face her lap as her head rolled forward.  
"I see I can do some definite good here." He chuckled.  
"They're innocent people." Raven added.  
"Innocent?" he said, his face blanching with distaste at the word, as if it somehow tasted foul on his tongue. "They poison their own atmosphere. They slaughter each other by the thousands. They disregard all other life, and you call them innocent? Just how many times have they tried to kill the two of you?"  
"Those are only a few…" Starfire started to say, but Knives cradled her chin and raised her face to look him in the eyes again.  
"Here's the real truth." He sneered. "They aren't going to learn, and they aren't going to improve. They're just going to keep up this self-destructive cycle till they leave their own planet uninhabitable, polluted and ravaged by war. They're a pestilence on this universe, and they must be cleansed away before they can spread. And I'm the one who'll do it."

"A bomb?" Vash said incredulously as he held the ice pack against his head. The other's all sat around, their faces grim as Cyborg gave his assessment."Looks like it." He turned and faced them, the monitor behind him showing a list of the materials stolen. "All the stuff the Gung Ho Guns have stolen thus far is all components for constructing a nuclear weapon."  
"That explains why Knives wants it, but what does Slade want that stuff for?" Beast Boy asked from where he perched on the counter.  
"Don't know." Cyborg said. "Maybe he's making a bomb too."  
"Not his style." Robin said with a frown. "Slade wants control, not destruction. He would rather conquer the world, not blow it away.""But why would he want to build a bomb here?" Meryl asked cautiously.  
"Maybe he's planning to bring it back to our world." Wolfwood suggested.  
"No, its not that." Vash said. All eyes turned to him as he dropped the ice pack and stood up. He looked up at the monitor, examining the list. His shoulders sagged, the weight of his brother's actions crushing him. "He wants to destroy this world before…" he hesitated a moment, then turned and looked at his friends. "Guys, there's something I haven't told you. I was afraid it would effect what hasn't happened yet. But it doesn't look like I have a choice…"

"Its lonely, isn't it?" Knives said, shifting topics now. He turned from the window and gazed at them. "The two of you, the only superior beings on a planet full of walking, brainless pieces of meat. You can't tell me you don't feel lonely sometimes." He paused for effect, gazing deep into their eyes, probing for reactions.  
"Never lonely!" Starfire insisted, "We have friends, we have…"  
"They call you they're friends, for now." He said, starting to move toward them again. "But in time, they are going to resent you. Who wants an example you can never live up to? When they see you're superiority, you're strength for what it is, they'll grow jealous. And then they'll grow afraid. And then, then they will start to hate you. And that is a very lonely existence indeed. One that no one can understand…" he placed his hands on their shoulders and leaned in close, bringing his face nearer to them, "Except me."  
"That's a lie." Raven hissed.  
"Is it? Why do you think I was forced to do all the things Vash told you about. They feared me, and him, both of us. They feared us for our superiority, our difference. They weren't ready to accept their own inferiority. They called us monsters, us! And after all Vash has done for them, they still fear him." He pointed a finger accusingly at the two girls. "And can't you just hear what they'll be calling you: the freak from another dimension, the creature from another planet? They'll be terrified of both of you. But I'm not scared, and I never will be. Can't you see, all I want is…to be you're friend?" He managed to force a smile onto his face, but on him it looked totally false, and they saw through him completely.  
"We already have friends." Starfire insisted.  
"And none of our friends is a murderer." Raven said, narrowing her eyes.  
"They will be." Knives said, leaning in closer still. "Just watch how they slaughter their own world. Perhaps when they move on from this world, they'll devour yours next." He cradled their chins, lifting their faces to look into his eyes. "In the meantime, I suggest you get comfortable where you are. You're not going anywhere for a while."  
"There is one thing you can do to make us more comfortable…" Raven said, causing Knives to arch a curios eyebrow. She wished she had full control of her face, so she could smile smartly as she spat "Get some breath-mints."  
The punch fell hard across her face, sending her tipping to the side, her head colliding with Starfire's, sending the both of them tumbling over onto the floor. They both grunted with the impact, grateful now that they didn't have a lot of the feeling in they're bodies at the moment. They found themselves face to face with the toes of Knive's boots. He sneered down at them.  
"After you've spent some time there, at my feet, you'll start to think different." He chuckled as he stepped out, flicking the light-switch as he went, leaving them both alone in darkness, the only light they had being that within their hearts.  
"Whoa…" Was all anyone could manage to say. They all looked at Vash, trying to digest all the information he had just given them. The revelations about himself, Meryl, Millie, Wolfwood, the Gung Ho Guns all being there, and even they're very existence, seemed to much to absorb. But finally, Robin found his voice.  
"So that's what he wants to make a bomb for."  
"Afraid so." Vash sighed.  
"So that makes it all the more important for us to stop him then." Cyborg said, trying to rouse the mood that had set in upon them with Vash's words.  
"But how?" Millie asked, cocking her head curiously. "We don't even know where they are."  
"Maybe not yet." Robin added, a small, knowing smile starting to play on his lips. "But I think I may know a way to find out…"


	8. A special treat

Sorry if I got your hopes up that this would be a new chapter, true believers. I am afraid that between my job, and a play I am currently cast in, I have had little time for updates as of late. But fear not, fresh updates are forthcoming, as I have managed to slowly put not one, not two, but three new chapters together. The third only needs some fine tuning, and all three will be posted in one update.

To try to make up for the long time this story has been untouched, I am providing you with a sneak preview of another TT fic that is slowly underway. It is also a crossover, between TT and one of my favorite video games, I hope its one of yours too. Read on, and enjoy!

Riku knelt down and retrieved his weapon. He stood for a moment, his eyes darting from Sora to Raven, Raven to Sora, considering. He made up his mind, and stepped over to Sora first. He flipped his sword in his hands, the blade pointing downward for stabbing, and raised up it. He paused, tensing his muscles for extra thrusting power, and then sent the tip slamming down toward Sora's abdomen…

And was blocked within seconds of contact by the metal pole that seemed to appear out of nowhere. It thrust itself between the incoming menace and the helpless victim, blocking the blade's path.

Riku raised his head, and stared right into the narrow eyeholes of Robin's mask.

"Get away from them, you slime!" Robin snarled. With a massive swing he knocked Riku's blade aside and brought his bo-staff up, hoping to catch the heartless warrior below his chin. But Riku leapt high into the air, dodging the attack, and landed several feet away. He straightened up and then balanced the blade of his sword against his shoulder.

""Don't interfere" he said testily, "Those who try to stand before the darkness are consumed by it."

"If you even try to touch my friends again, you'll have to deal with me." Robin said, gripping his staff with both hands now, and dropping into a combat-ready stance.

"Very well…" Riku said, bringing his sword forward now to point it at his new opponent, "Prepare yourself!"


End file.
